Ballot Box Bunny
Ballot Box Bunny is a 1951 Merrie Melodies short directed by Friz Freleng. Plot Yosemite Sam is running for mayor of a small town saying "There's enough fresh air and sunshine in this great country of ours for everybody- and I'll see to it, that you'll get your share!" Bugs Bunny is underneath the podium drinking carrot juice when Sam makes a pledge to make good on his previous promise to rid the town "of every last rabbit" if elected. Bugs, having spit his carrot juice out in disbelief, decides he needs to fight against Sam by running against him for mayor. Bugs proceeds to quickly try and win the townspeople over, referencing Theodore Roosevelt's famous quote, "I speak softly, but carry a BIG stick!" However, Sam, declaring that he speaks loud and carries "a bigger stick, and I use it too!" has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. He steals Bugs' cigar stand, sends a boxful of army ants to steal all of Bugs' food, and rigs explosives in, for instance, a piano and by the front door of Bugs' campaign office, all of which backfire on him. A campaign slogan seen on a pro-Bugs banner says that the candidate is "Loyal, Lovable, Literate." Bugs switches his "SMELLO" cigars with five-cent ATOM Explosive Cigars ("You Will Get A BANG Out Of This"), hides a dynamite stick in a watermelon, pretends that a pretty girl called Emma who loves Sam is at his door, and misplays the piano tune on purpose to infuriate Sam, who plays it right and falls for his trap for the fourth time. While they are busy fighting with each other, the mayorship is won by a literal "dark horse" candidate: a chestnut-coloured mare! The two then play a game of Russian Roulette. Bugs shoots at himself, but misses and shoots Sam in the head. Sam grumbles, "I hate that rabbit!" (See "Censorship" note below for more information about the ending.) Availability * (1985) VHS - A Salute to Mel Blanc * (1993) LaserDisc - Bugs Bunny: Winner by a Hare: 14 of Bugs Bunny's Best * (1996) VHS - From Hare to Eternity * (2003) DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1, Disc One * (2011) DVD - Looney Tunes Super Stars' Bugs Bunny: Wascally Wabbit Notes * Most of this cartoon was used in the TV special, Bugs Bunny: All American Hero. * The "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" Exploding Piano Gag would later be reused in "Show Biz Bugs" (1957) and "Rushing Roulette" (1965). * The "dark horse" election as the new mayor is a pun joke; The term "dark horse" refers to one who receives unexpected support as a candidate for the nomination in a political convention. * Unlike most cartoons, Bugs drinks carrot juice instead of munching on a carrot. * There are several inside jokes found in this cartoon: ** The statue contains a list of crew members from the film. It reads, "Pro Patria 1865: Batchelder, Champin, Farren, Julian, Nicholson, Perez, Pratt and Ross." ** Building names to look out for: Ross & Co , Josiah Freep, Frizby, M. Perez, P. Julian Yard Tools * When Bugs plays two distinctly different sour notes each time, he is striking the exact same key. * The pre-2011 censored version that aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang is a horribly faded unrestored print from the ''Golden Jubilee'' tapes which has been time-compressed to PAL speed. The post-2011 uncensored version is the restored version seen on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 DVD set played at its original NTSC speedhttps://archive.org/details/Jan2018Cartoons. Censorship * Versions of this cartoon shown on the syndicated Merrie Melodies Show, the FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show, ABC's The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, and The WB cut the entire ending scene where Bugs and Sam play Russian Roulette after both losing the mayoral race to a literal "dark horse" by irising out after Bugs and Sam look at each other following the "Dark Horse"/"Mare" line. http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-b.aspx * Cartoon Network and Boomerang also aired this short edited the same way it was on ABC, FOX, The WB, and The Merrie Melodies Show. The ending has since been restored as of 2011 https://archive.org/details/Jan2018Cartoons. ** It should be noted that various European feeds of Cartoon Network and Boomerang have aired this short uncensored, either using the Golden Jubilee tape print at PAL speed with high-pitched audio or the 1998 dubbed version (a.k.a. THIS VERSION 1998) print in PAL speed but with normal-pitched audio. This PAL print is shown on the Boomerang subscription service, albeit uncensored with the Russian Roulette ending gag intact, similar to some TV airings in PAL countries.https://watch.boomerang.com/watch/77/2 * In addition to the ending cut made by The Merrie Melodies Show, FOX, ABC, The WB, and the pre-2011 Cartoon Network and Boomerang, Nickelodeon altered the part in which Bugs plays his "juteybox" (read: Bugs' marching one-man band) and Sam shoots him by having Bugs' marching played in a loop and Sam yelling, "Shut off that juteybox! I can't hear myself a-speechin'" over the looped shot, followed by a cut to Sam saying: "Now, where was I?" This edit makes it seem that Bugs merely stopped because Sam told him to rather than be forced to do it by use of firearms. Gallery Pub-Ballot-Box.GIF|Lobby Card 1 Pub-Ballot-Box-alternate.jpg|Lobby Card 2, Signed by Friz Freleng! Oscar-nom-1951.jpg | Oscar nomination sheet from 1952, showing that this cartoon, along with the Sylvester/Tweety cartoon "Gift Wrapped" and the Pepe Le Pew cartoon "Little Beau Pepe" were in the running to be nominated File:Bbb russian roulette.png|Bugs and Sam play "Russian roulette" in this often-censored ending. File:Bbb sam speech.png|Sam giving his election speech File:Bbb bugs bunny vote.png|Bugs seeks revenge on Sam for his plans on rabbit genocide if he is elected by running against him for mayor. References External Links * "Ballot Box Bunny" at SuperCartoons.net * "Ballot Box Bunny" at B99.TV * * Ballot Box Bunny on the SFX Resource also see the List of Bugs Bunny cartoons Category:Bugs Bunny Cartoons Category:Yosemite Sam Cartoons Category:Shorts Category:1951 Category:Looney Tunes Shorts Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts Category:Cartoons directed by Friz Freleng Category:Blue Ribbon reissues Category:Bugs Bunny Friz Freleng Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster Category:Cartoons with layouts by Hawley Pratt Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Paul Julian Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer Category:Cartoons animated by Warren Batchelder Category:Cartoons animated by Sam Nicholson